JBL released the Pulse portable bluetooth speaker a year ago, a great sounding speaker whose case resembled a late 60s rock concert light show. This year at the Consumer Electronics Show JBL has taken the covers of an improved version, the Pulse 3.

It still plays music, and it still has the look of a lava lamp, but the big improvement is the addition of IPX7 rating for the speaker – yes, it’s waterproof. That means if you dunk the Pulse 3 in 1 metre of water, for 30 minutes, you won’t kill it. It won’t play under water of course, but it will when you pull it out.

Like the best of this type of speaker, the sound, and the light show, is a 360° affair. It also like others will link up with other JBL Pulse 3 speakers. In the case of the Pulse 3, you can connect more than 100 JBL Connect+ enabled speakers together. So party or small rave, you’re covered.

You can also use the Pulse 3 as a speakerphone, helped by noise- and echo-cancelling technology. You’ll also be able to customise the light show with the JBL Connect+ App.

Battery life will see you get around 12 hours of play on a full charge.

Expect to see the Pulse 3 in Australian stores in the latter half of 2017, at a cost of around $275. Colour choices: white or black.

Scott Fitzgerald started TechStyles in 2010, after 5 years of running the GadgetGuy website, so gadgets and tech have been a big part of his life for quite a while now. Prior to that he edited the Macquarie Dictionary, Travelmate.com.au and NeeditNow.com. Find Scott on Google+